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Herkimer County, New York
Herkimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was created in 1791 out of part of Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,519. It is named after General Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part in the Battle of Oriskany during the Revolutionary War. Its county seat is the Village of Herkimer. Herkimer County is part of the Utica-Rome, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area. History For the history of Herkimer County before 1791, see Montgomery County. In 1791, Herkimer County was created as one of three counties split off from Montgomery (the other two being Otsego, and Tioga County) as New York State was developed after the Revolutionary War. Its area was much larger than the present county, however, and was reduced by a number of subsequent splits. Part of Herkimer County was part of Macomb's Purchase of 1791, during the wide-scale sale of public lands after the state forced several Iroquois tribes to cede their territory. Suddenly 5 million acres of land in upstate, central and western New York was being sold. In 1794, Onondaga County was split off from Herkimer County. This county was larger than the current Onondaga County, including the present Cayuga, Cortland, and part of Oswego Counties. In 1798, a portion of Herkimer County, together with a portion of Tioga County, was taken to form Chenango County. Another part of Herkimer was split off to form Oneida County. This county was larger than the current Oneida County, including the present Jefferson, Lewis, and part of Oswego Counties. In 1802, parts of Herkimer and two other counties (Clinton and Montgomery Counties) were combined to form the new St. Lawrence County. Geography Herkimer County is in central New York State, northwest of Albany, and east of Syracuse. The northern part of the county is in the Adirondack Park. The Mohawk River flows across the south part of the county. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.23%) is water. Adjacent counties Herkimer is bounded by seven other New York counties, as is its neighbor Hamilton County. Only Saratoga County borders on more. Adjacent counties are: *St. Lawrence County, New York - north *Hamilton County, New York - east *Montgomery County, New York - east *Fulton County, New York - east *Otsego County, New York - south *Oneida County, New York - west *Lewis County, New York - northwest New York Economy Herkimer County is known for producing unusual clear, doubly terminated quartz crystals, marketed as Herkimer diamonds. Ilion in Herkimer County has one of two production sites of the Remington Arms Company, where many of the company's firearms are produced. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 64,427 people, 25,734 households, and 17,113 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 32,026 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.83% White, 0.51% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 0.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 20.6% were of Italian, 16.3% German, 13.9% Irish, 9.3% English, 7.7% Polish, 6.2% American and 5.2% French ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.2% spoke English, 1.2% Spanish and 1.1% Italian as their first language. There were 25,734 households out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.20% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.50% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county the population was spread out with 24.40% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,924, and the median income for a family was $40,570. Males had a median income of $29,908 versus $21,518 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,141. About 8.90% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.60% of those under age 18 and 10.40% of those age 65 or over. Government and politics The Herkimer County Legislature consists of 17 members each elected from single member districts. Cities, Towns and Villages *Cold Brook (village) *Columbia (town) *Danube (town) *Dolgeville (village) *Fairfield (town) *Frankfort (town) *Frankfort (village) *German Flatts (town) *Herkimer (village) *Herkimer (town) *Ilion (village) *Litchfield (town) *Little Falls (town) *Little Falls (city) *Manheim (town) *Middleville (village) *Mohawk (village) *Newport (town) *Newport (village) *Norway (town) *Ohio (town) *Poland (village) *Russia (town) *Salisbury (town) *Schuyler (town) *Stark (town) *Warren (town) *Webb (town) *West Winfield (village) *Winfield (town) * '' Label in parentheses indicates official level of government'' Adjacent counties and areas To the north of Herkimer County is St. Lawrence County. The western border is Lewis and Oneida Counties. Otsego County is on the southern border. Herkimer County shares its eastern border with Hamilton, Fulton, and Montgomery Counties. See also * List of counties in New York * National Register of Historic Places listings in Herkimer County, New York References Further reading * External links * Herkimer County official website * President Benjamin Harrison's Summer home * * Early history summary of Herkimer County * Herkimer County history pages Category:Herkimer County, New York Category:Utica–Rome metropolitan area Category:established in 1791